KL Desk
Srinagar
Terming February 11 as a black day for Kashmiri nation, Democratic Freedom Party Chairman Shabir Ahmad Shah Thursday said that Muhammad Maqbool Bhat created consciousness among the Kashmiri people and instilled in them zeal to fight for the freedom and “release themselves from the chains of slavery. “
Paying rich tributes to Muhammad Maqbool Bhat, Shah said that the passion, enthusiasm and the dedication towards the freedom struggle that his martyrdom created in the people of Jammu and Kashmir can be gauged from the martyrdoms that occurred after his martyrdom. Hurriyat member said that the Indian authorities had thought that by hanging the freedom fighter inside the premises of Tihar Jail would instill a sense of fear in the minds of people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The Indian government had thought that no Kashmiri will muster the courage to stand against them or raise his voice after that. But the history of the freedom struggle has proven them wrong. The enthusiasm and the struggle for the freedom is refusing to die down,” he said.
“By following the footsteps of Maqbool Bhat people offered lakhs of sacrifices and highlighted the Kashmir issue and brought it to the international stage. It is because of these sacrifices that pressure is being developed on India to solve the Kashmir issue as per the aspirations of the people of the valley,” he added.
The senior Hurriyat leader also put forward his suggestion before all the Pro-freedom leaders that the martyrs’ day should be observed on February 11.
“How good it would be if keep February 11 to observe the martyrs day. Or keep three days February 11, July 13 and some other suitable third day for observing the martyrdom of the martyrs of Kashmir. Our list of martyrs is so long that if we keep every day for martyrs still we may not be able to observe the martyrdom of every individual,” he said.
Emphasizing his stand to handover the remains of the Maqbool Bhat back to Srinagar, Shah appealed to the international community to impress upon the Indian government in this regard. He further said that the freedom struggle will continue until there will be any political solution to the Kashmir that may be in accordance with the aspirations of the people of the valley.
